The sky around Palomar 11, 3° across, north up low-power eyepiece, 1° NE 1°
The sky around Palomar 11 at true scale, north up and east left, with stars to magnitude 8. The circles show the field of a low-power eyepiece and of 10×50 binoculars.

MWSC 3171

Palomar 11

Globular cluster in Aquila

Globular cluster in Aquila, 45,700 light-years away.

AQUILA

The box shows where Palomar 11 sits in Aquila.

Constellation
AquilaAql
Magnitude
9.8visual
Size
10′about 133 light-years
Distance
45,700 lylight-years
Best month
Septemberat 9 pm
Best with
Telescope

Palomar 11 is a globular cluster in Aquila, 45,700 light-years away

Palomar 11 (MWSC 3171) is a globular cluster in the constellation Aquila, 45,700 light-years away. It shines at magnitude 9.8 and spans 10′ of sky, about 133 light-years across. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, and it is highest in the evening sky in September.

Globular cluster: a ball of 100,000 to a few million old stars packed into a sphere about 100 light-years across. About 160 orbit the Milky Way, most of them in the halo around its center.

Finding Palomar 11 from Antinous

Antinous Palomar 11 AQUILA

Palomar 11 lies 9.7° southwest of Antinous, the magnitude 3.2 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.

Palomar 11 is highest in the evening in September

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 60°N JAN at 60°N: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -37° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -37° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -29° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -16° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -1° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 12° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 21° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 21° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 14° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 1° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -13° high at 9 pm 50°N JAN at 50°N: -33° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -46° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -47° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -35° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -18° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 2° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 30° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 31° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 21° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 5° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -14° high at 9 pm 40°N JAN at 40°N: -38° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -55° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -56° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -41° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -19° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 4° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 25° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 39° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 41° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -15° high at 9 pm 30°N JAN at 30°N: -41° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -63° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -66° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -45° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -20° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 6° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 48° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 50° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 34° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 11° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -15° high at 9 pm 20°N JAN at 20°N: -43° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -70° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -74° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -48° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -20° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 8° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 35° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 57° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 59° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 13° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -14° high at 9 pm 10°N JAN at 10°N: -44° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -74° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -79° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -49° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 10° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 39° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 65° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 68° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 44° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 15° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -14° high at 9 pm 0° JAN at 0°: -43° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -72° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -76° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -47° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -18° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 12° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 41° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 71° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 75° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 47° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 17° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -12° high at 9 pm 10°S JAN at 10°S: -40° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -66° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -69° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -44° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -17° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 42° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 72° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 77° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 48° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 18° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -11° high at 9 pm 20°S JAN at 20°S: -36° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -58° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -60° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -14° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 14° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 42° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 69° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 73° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 47° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 19° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -9° high at 9 pm 30°S JAN at 30°S: -31° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -49° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -50° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -35° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -12° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 14° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 40° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 62° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 65° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 45° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 19° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm 40°S JAN at 40°S: -25° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -40° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -41° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -28° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -9° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 36° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 54° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 56° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 41° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 18° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -4° high at 9 pm below horizon low 20-40° 40-60° overhead-ish

The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole southern hemisphere and north to about 82°N.

Palomar 11 is 45,700 light-years away

The light seen from Palomar 11 tonight left it about 45,700 years ago. It ranks 64 of 78 by distance among the star clusters on Go Astronomy. Distance source: Baumgardt and Vasiliev 2021.

Objects within 6° of Palomar 11

No other Messier, Caldwell or Herschel 400 object lies within 6°.

Palomar 11 catalog data

FieldValue
DesignationsMWSC 3171
Typeglobular cluster
ConstellationAquila
Right ascension (J2000)19h 45.2m
Declination (J2000)-08° 00′
Magnitude9.8
Apparent size10′
True size133 light-years
Distance45,700 light-years (Baumgardt and Vasiliev 2021)
Best monthSeptember
Best withTelescope